A career as a cosmonaut “is not a joy ride” – Rakesh Sharma

Rakesh Sharma: "India and Russia today have strengths that are complementary for the future of space research." Source: AP

India’s first cosmonaut talks to RIR about Indo-Russian space projects, why countries should avoid a space race and gives advice for future cosmonauts.

Could you recall please the moment you were chosen to become the first Indian
cosmonaut? It was a huge responsibility, wasn`t it?

Well, that
was so long ago. Both Ravish Malhotra
and myself were called to the office of the Commandant, Aircraft and Systems’
Testing Establishment (ASTE) a premier testing unit of the Indian Air Force
where both of us were serving as Air Force Test Pilots. The Commandant informed
us that both of us were selected to undergo training at Star City, Moscow for
the impending Indo-Soviet Space Flight scheduled to launch in 1984. Yes, on the
one hand I was hugely excited while on the other, I was aware that a great
responsibility was being thrust upon me as I would be representing my country,
my Air Force and my unit – ASTE, in that order.

You often call upon world leaders in your interviews to work together in
the area of space and try to avoid a space race. Why?

It is my
belief that humanity has been unable to break out of the cycle of violence for
centuries because we cling to our identities; that of, colour, nationality,
language and culture. We need to find another model that will enable us to
participate in inclusive, rather than exclusive growth. Space provides us a
great opportunity to collaborate and co-operate with other nations provided
that the agenda is to explore space for peaceful purposes and for the greater
good of humanity. If we are to undertake the horrendously expensive experiment
to establish a permanent human outpost on the Moon, Mars and other destinations
in our solar system, it makes sense to collaborate, so that we utilize the
limited resources of planet Earth in a more efficient manner. If we pursue,
individual national objectives during the coming years of space exploration, we
shall only be succeeding in exporting human conflict from Earth to outer space.
We will then have to protect the assets like minerals, energy raw materials
like Helium and other attractive substances for use of only people from the
particular country that has invested in such an exploration. So, new national
boundaries will have to be drawn to protect the territory of one or the other
country, in outer space. If this happens, we will have succeeded in sowing
seeds of conflict in those territories and therefore, be unable to break out of
the cycle of violence that we have been trapped in. In my opinion, conflict and
violence stems from exclusive growth that resulting in an inequitable
distribution of wealth.

Which Indo-Russian projects in the area of space you see the most promising
today?

India and Russia today have strengths that are
complementary for the future of space research. Russia is a leader in reliable
human access to space and has tremendous experience in supporting space crews
for long durations in space. India on the other hand has a lot of experience in
space applications and software programmes. As such, both countries can be
productive partners in international space exploration missions in the future.

If you put your name in Google search one of the most popular request
would be – “Rakesh Sharma astronaut landed on moon”. Is it a hidden part of
your biography?

Sadly, this misinformation made its way into
school text books and was distributed far and wide. The Moon is a significant
part of our cultural folklore and the young reader tends to see the Moon as a
logical destination. Near Earth Orbit is a term that people are not familiar
with!

You have been to the USSR… if you have a chance to bring some something
from there what would it be?

Some other
thing that cannot be touched: Alla Pugachova’s and the music of other pop
artistes who were becoming popular in your country in the 80’s!

There are no immediate plans for the launch of an Indian cosmonaut by
ISRO.

Well, it
has been planned for a while but has got delayed for a while partly due to
technology denial interventions by the international community.

Indian manned mission could become a reality during next two years,
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) had promised before. How do you
personally feel about this timeline? Does India really need to send its cosmonaut
to the space by itself?

I feel it is an unrealistic timeline.
Mastering cryo technology is only part of the story. There are other
disciplines that need to be worked on that will be time consuming.

Till such
time that we do not have a global vision for future space exploration, (as I
have attempted to articulate above) I am afraid, every country will attempt to
develop an individual capability to gain access to space and get busy in
rediscovering the wheel at a great expense by consuming the meagre resources
now left on planet Earth. This is the challenge before World Leaders today. The
answer to your question can only come from a visionary, world leader with an
all inclusive global outlook.

There are also plans for joint Indo-Russian manned missions into space.
Should our countries come back to track for such huge projects in the area of
space?

Yes. It would be a beginning and should aim to
demonstrate to the international community, how we can collaborate to the
mutual benefit of our two peoples. It follows that the collaborative activity
must have definite aims that will demonstrate how future space exploration has
the potential to positively impact the lives of people back on earth.

This year Russia is celebrating Gagarin`s 80th birth
anniversary. What do you think was his biggest achievement and what is his
legacy now?

In my book,
Gagarin was a quintessential explorer. Like all explorers he believed in his
team, and in himself. He was fearless and his legacy lives on. In fact he was
the one who showed that an idea could become reality if we can leverage science
and apply it intelligently.

I have been fortunate that I have managed to
continue a normal, professional and satisfying military test - flying career
after the space flight, till retirement, while staying far away from public
gaze. God has been kind!

Many boys dreams of becoming a cosmonaut. Do you think this is a right
dream? Could you give them any advice how to become a cosmonaut?

If I could become an astronaut without ever
dreaming to become one, imagine how easy it would be for someone who dreams of
becoming one and then pursues that dream!

My only
advise to them would be that a career in space technology is not a joy ride.
Make sure that you are passionate about this interest, work hard to master the
skills and knowledge required to excel in it and after all this, if an
opportunity comes your way do not hesitate. Things never are as difficult as
they appear from the outside.